it's 6:00, or we're on bar time this morning. that clock is usually right. >> we're not on bar time. sometimes, you may think you're that way, but no. >> i'm hoping for closing time. >> how much you want to bet that clock is right by tomorrow morning. >> i'm guessing in 15 minutes. >> we'll cloud up by midday. this evening, showers moving into the area. we'll have a good slug of moisture moving our way. we'll keep the umbrellas handy through all of tomorrow. the time has come for you

to move. good morning, don, well, that's not the case on the eastside of the outer lupe. let's go to the live shot now at chesaco. it's blocking the two leftland lanes. if you can avoid the area, do so. as far as the rest of the beltway, there's slowing at harford road. we have the accident at randallstown. you'll slowdown approaching whitemarsh on 95. taking a look at the overall travel times from 795 to 95, 53 miles per hour average and 12 minutes to get by. that's the westside at liberty road. that's picking up. for the most accurate information available, go to wjz.com. here's what people will be talking about today. city police officers are arrested and more than a dozen

charged in an extorsion scheme. andrea fujii has more. >> reporter: good morning, don and everyone. 17 city police officers have already turned in their badges and they're facing criminal charges this morning. now, we're learning than 14 more may be suspended today. >> reporter: the agents left this majestic shop with boxes full of evidence. the investigators say that the officers would drivers to let majestic tow their cars. in exchange, the officers were given $300 for each car. one officer made over $14,000 in two years. >> i personally took the badges from every one of those men who were arrested today. >> reporter: the fbi wiretaps showed one officers that he

told a citizen, i wouldn't let anything happen to you. i'm a police man. i'm here to earn myself some $300. a different officer is recorded saying, my pay made me cry with that cut. that's less 100 from my check. this job is so [blank [. i want to leave here. >> when we have a few bad apples, it makes all of us look bad. >> they face up to $250,000 in fines. >> the police officers are supposed to be working for the police department, not the highest bidder. and the officers arrested range from 24 to 41 -- 41 years old. an update on alfredo simon.

his lawyers say he'll be released soon. he's been detained since the accidental shooting of his cousin on new year's day. the maryland state senate is poised to pass a bill to legalize gay marriage. if it passes, the bill will go to the house of delegates and then to the governor's desk. meantime, the u.s. justice department says it won't defend the court challenges. breaking news from overnight, the death toll in new zealand is going up. 98 are now confirmed dead. at this hour, rescue efforts continue as more than 200 are still missing. a family is very elated their son is not one of them.

>> reporter: heart breaking images from new zealand after an earthquake rocked the country. 75 have been killed and the death toll is rising and 300 are missing. this man was on the phone with a trapped victim. >> are you in the classroom? hey, people are doing everything to save you. >> reporter: the damage was widespread and catastrophic. the rescue crews tried to save victims and recover the dead. ten students were among those who perished in this building. >> i heard that my friends didn't come out. >> reporter: he said he was in the area where the earthquake was. >> reporter: this family turned their attention to the area after the quake hit. their son/brother was biking across the country. >> i spent most of the day on

the internet, looking at the pictures to see if i could see him. >> he's a film maker and a photographer in los angeles. after an agonizing wait, they got this phone call. >> i've got some good news, i found him. >> a friend josh met in new zealand called to say he's okay. >> he's all of the things i wish i could have been. >> josh is 28 years old. so far, he's biked 1000 miles across new zealand. their family isn't certain how long he'll remain there. they'll hope to speak there and get a sense of when he'll return home. thank you, kai. the president has broken his relative silence on the growing crisis in libya.

>> the suffering is unacceptable. >> he's now sending secretary of state, hillary clinton to geneva. a few hours ago, an army attacked near the capital of libya. lindsay lohan is not behind bars this morning. that may not be the case for long. one of the things about me. i treat everyone the same. i don't car who you are. that doesn't effect me. >> the judge says if she accepts the plea deal, it would include jail time. she's accused of stealing a necklace from a jewelry store. some growing concern about the health of a baltimore oriole.

this morning, the second baseman, brian roberts missed a workout because of soreness in his week. down in college park, the terrapins got off to a slow start playing the similar knolls -- florida. the terps go on to win 78-62. they're going to north carolina to play on sunday. and it's the dunk that stole the show on nba all star weekend. was it a stolen idea? a 23-year-old man living in ohio twittered, suggesting he jump over a car, but griffin never gave him credit. he's pretty upset now. i feel like it was my idea,

park a car on the court and jump over the car. >> he got the idea in a dream. lebron james was the one doing it in the dream with a hummer. >> it was a cool dunk. >> so what does he want now? >> money? >> blake did ask. he put it on facebook or he treated. >> got any ideas for a dunk, let me have them. >> i didn't know that came with an asterisk. that was a great dunk. the nba did a great job in the all-star game this past weekend. it was a fantastic job. it was a good ballgame. i mean, to be honest about the deal. you have to give blake a little bit of love. it could be worse if you were

playing for the wizards or the cavaliers. how would you like to play in the market where the other team's the lakers? >> let's go ahead and -- i'm telling you, i think that the knick's will be baltimore's team. when's the last time you stopped someone and said, that's a great looking wizard's hoodie. >> when's the last time you saw great wizard's gear? >> '76. >> caramelo gives a ton of the money to the city. you'll be prized how much knick's gear you'll see. more rain will come into the

area tonight and it will be mild around 40. here's the first warning doppler weather radar. out to the west, we have a good slug of rain and just rain. that's pressing into the mid- atlantic. ron, good morning. how are you? >> we'll have rain here, miss rain prior is going to joining us. she's a teacher in baltimore, we'll have her performance at the mark cotman gallery. we'll have the story when we continue. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

it's 24 degrees and calm winds. the barometer is at 30.25. we're in the mid-20s at hagerstown and downtown and elkton. 33 d.c., 34 pax river. it's almost 30 degrees in cumberland this morning. 23 bel air and 24 in columbia. 32 rock hall, kent island and annapolis. we have a little bit of a bay

effect. the moisture is coming our way. we have a good slug of moisture coming towards the atlantic. we have really, a pretty, all be it wet forecast. this time of the year, we describe calm as no sleet, freezing rain and snow. this is kicking up the mild air. today, we'll go for a high of 48 degrees. i think, coming home, you'll need an umbrella. certainly, you will tonight. tomorrow, we'll kick it up to the mid-50s. the morning rain showing a thunderstorm. it will be windy, we'll have wind advisories out tomorrow. saturday, 43 and we'll have sun. mostly cloudy sunday. warm, a high of 56. showers coming in late sunday, sunday nigh and through all of monday. tuesday, sunshine and 46 degrees.

all right, don, take it away. >> how about going to work or school. here's kristy breslin. we, it could be tricky if you're traveling on the eastside of the interlupe. the accidents at south east prior to chesaco, it's blocking the two lefthand lanes delays are solid back to pulaski highway. farce the rest of the beltway goes, there's slowing to harford. southbound 95, there's stop and go there. that's up to the beltway. northbound, 95, police activity is attracting attention on the freeway. taking a look at the drive times, on the outer lupe, 795 -- 12 minutes to get by. we'll take a live look, heavy traffic there at 895 south of 195. this is brought to you by toyota and your local toyota dealer.

toyota, moving forward. all right, ronster with one of our favorite people. normally, we have rain in the studio with us. we normally see her in person. >> don and marty say you look good on tv. >> i miss you guys! >> yeah. >> >> we're live at the gallery, south charles street. there's a big fundraiser tomorrow night. >> it helps to support the arts program. it's headed by earnest shaw. we're doing a gem of the ocean and we need the funds to help us. there are things we're in need of. this is going to help support that. you're a teacher? >> yeah, the theater teacher. a ha. this is good for us. the kids being on cam are is a great opportunity for them as well. come on down and help us.

>> it's not just music? >> african drumming and arts and music. we need the resources to help it grow and nourish. >> you're giving a monologue? >> yeah, it's not for delicate ears. we're trying to keep it real. >> do you get tired of talking about your dad? >> no, he was great. i would worry more if he was someone else that wasn't so great. >> i asked you this before. how did you end up here? >> i had two friends here and i said, i think i'll move. it was time to make the big move. i love it here. it's my home.

>> how can people get tickets? >> we'll move over here. >> they can go to the art gallery. that's a great way. also, come on down between 6:00 and 9:00. that's the event. half of the proceeds goes to the program. >> you ready for the event? >> i'm ready. >> thank you for having us in. >> if you're not on the internet, give us a call. >> reign, connections is located where? >> at 38.01 duke one street in west malt mother. -- baltimore. you can also donate directly. >> thank you, rain. >> come on down! >> tomorrow night, south charles street, federal hill.

thank you for joining us. >> bye guys in the studio. >> have a great one. >> rain's written a book called "jokes my father never taught me." it's a very good read. she's cool. >> most people leave baltimore and go to l.a.. she leaves l.a. and comes to baltimore. >> i wonder how she liked this week's snow? >> about as much as the rest of us. >> let's move along, shall we? >> next on wjz. the star of "the good wife" gives a major shout out to baltimore. >> i love baltimore. >> we'll have a rare interview with josh charles.s.,,,,,,,,,,,,

we have a rare interview with a star of "the good wife." he's also ron matz's cousin. >> i look at you, i think that -- >> well -- >> josh charles, star of "the good wife" is locked in a slow,

burning love triangle. in this week's people magazine. he shows millions of readers why he loves his hometown, baltimore. from the inner harbor from his favorite place to eat crabs and edgar allan poe's home. >> i love baltimore, i like to chill. it's layed back. >> reporter: he attended baltimore school for the arts. this role is garnering the most attention. he's asked to sign autographs everywhere he goes. >> most people are really nice. they just want to let you know they're liking the show and they're enjoying it. that's positive. >> reporter: baltimore

appreciates baltimore remembers his routes. >> reporter: josh was tight lipped if we'll see the couple get together. we'll have to wait it out. we don't have to wait longer to see more on josh, the magazine hits newsstands this week. >> you can see him tuesday nights at 10:00. next up this morning -- >> good morning, i'm andrea fujii. 17 officers are charged in one of the largest corruption scandals in baltimore's history. what the feds say they did. just ahead. >> reporter: the u.s. senate is meeting to discuss ways to stop

the violence in libya. nurse sharks will out grow any home aquarium dooming them to death. one couple struggled to save the fish. i'm kristy breslin in traffic control. trouble around the beltway and congestion around 95. the final mission of shuttle discovery is here. we're looking live at the kennedy space center. you'll hear from a guy living in baltimore. talking about discovery's last mission on coffee with. we'll have more after this. ,,

the sky is brightening. four days are left in the month. christy's in 's in for sharon

in traffic. once you see it rain, it will rain through tomorrow night. any problems on the pavements this morning? here's kristy breslin on tv traffic control. we're still watching the situation on the eastside of the inner lupe. you can see that in the live shot. that's an accident prior to chesaco. two right lanes are blocked. only the right shoulder is getting by. the traffic is sluggish back to route 40. as far as the rest of the beltway goes, there are some delays. southbound 95, still sluggish approaching whitemarsh boulevard. southbound, 295, stop and go from route 100 to 32. 54miles per hour afternoon and 11 minutes to get by. there's the westside of the

beltway at liberty road. that's picking up in that direction. this is brought to you by toyota and your local toyota dealer. you can choose from 16 fuel efficient models. one of the largest corruption investigations is taking place. more than a dozen officers are arrested and another dozen could be suspended today. andrea fujii is live with more. >> reporter: good morning, don and everyone. the 17 city police officers are free this morning on their on will. that could spend decades in prison. federal agents left this body shop with several boxes of evidence. investigators say they would respond to scenes and convince

drivers to let majestic tow and repair their cars at discounted rates. one officer made 14,000 over two years. >> i personally took the badges from every one of those men who were arrested today. >> reporter: the fbi wiretaps reported one man bragging that he told a citizen -- i wouldn't let anything bad happen to you. i'm a policeman. i'm not here to [blank] up your life. another officer said, my pay made me cry. >> when we have a few bad apples, they make it bad for all of us. >> if convicted, they face 20 years in prison and $250,000 in fines. the police officers are supposed to be working for the

police department, not the highest bidder. and this morning, the baltimore sun is reporting that 14 more officers may be involved and suspended today. don, back to you. thank you, andrea, the officishers are 24 to 41. jurors are having a rough time reaching a consensus on whether or not cleveland williams is guilty of premeditated murder. he says he never intended to kill her. a high school senior is murdered and this morning, whoever did it is on the loose. this 18-year-old's friends are shocked by his death. someone shot and killed him after he stopped there for a snack. the police are searching for whatever did it. american's trying to get

out of harm's way in libya are stuck there this morning. the situation is chaotic. >> reporter: tens of thousands of foreigners are trying to escape the crisis in libya. a crowd of evacuees cheered as this ship carried them to safety. the u.s. is waiting to evacuate hundreds. the mass exdoes comes as the organizers call for another protest today. demonstrators have taken control of a string of cities and they have their eye on the capital. that's where the ruler is holed up. international pressure is building. the u.s. and the european union are threatening sanctions. the suffering and the bloodshed

is outrageous, it's unaccepten. >> reporter: president obama will send hillary clinton to the area to end the violence. experts predict, if other countries don't step in, the situation will only get worse. >> it's a fight to the death in libya. not just for gadhafi and his regime, but the protestors and their ability to survive another day. >> reporter: one estimates that a thousand people have been killed last week alone. also happening because of the crisis, oil prices are soring to near record levels. a french oil giant is among those winding down the operations in libya. if gadhafi would resign, the prices would drop $15 a barrel in one day. hundreds of people in our area are abandoning their pets because they get too big to care for.

now, animal right's activists are taking them in and finding them new homes. >> it's a pet store from the outside. it's unlike any other store. sure, they're gorgeous species, but talk with the owner, you'll find out all of this was given to him. >> they're basically rescues. beautiful creatures fill his tanks in glenn bernie. >> people came in and gave you everything in the tank? >> yes. >> he resells them. >> we feel we're saving a lot of their lives. >> reporter: look here, they're too big to flush. >> no one will take it. >> we have nurse sharks sold to the aquarium trade. >> they're bought in the u.s. and that's a problem. >> there's nothing responsible about selling a 14-foot pet.

you don't buy a st. barnard if you live if a loft apartment. >> aquariums won't take them. >> it's illegal to release them. most are told to kill the animals. >> it's not responsible and there's nothing right about it. >> there's a bill written to stop the sell of nurse sharks. so far, they're looking for a sponsor. >> our mission is to help stop the sell of them. >> major exhibit aquariums won't accept the donations of the sharks because they don't know their history. seaworld employees can come face to face with killer

whales. last february, a whale killed a trainer. it was a strong show on the board last night. it was a good way to start. new york beat milwaukee. raven's players are coming together in the game of charity. they'll be on hand far football and safe event. you can enjoy a tailgate meal and bid on items. all of the proceeds benefit kingdom reign. >> we'll get matt burk on coffee with. i'm helping him out again, the matt burk foundation. he's out there in a really cool way.

>> i've heard, i haven't met him. >> we'll be looking live at the kennedy space light's center. that's the shuttle discovery. it's getting ready to go on the last mission. it's a job well done by the most complex machine. coming up on coffee with. here's a picture of don thomas. he flew four times. one time on discovery. when he left nasa, he joined towson university. he's been asked to come in a few weeks ago to talk about the shuttle program knowing we were going to run it before discovery's last mission. we have a beautiful web extra for you. if you're a space freak, you have to see this. he brought toy toys. -- he brought toys. kristy breslin has traffic control. i can tell you, it's just

sunshine on that tribute to paul reed smith. it's the hard rock sign at the cafe at the inner harbor. that's going to get wet later on. we'll have the det,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

good morning, the barometer's at 30.25. 25 hagerstown, 23 elkton. 27 cumberland and 30 degrees in oakland. the upper 20s in ocean city and easton. 26 westminster and 23 columbian 23 columbia. rain is moving our way. rain and just rain. it will be mild. cooler air comes in on saturday. today, 48 degrees is the high. the normal is 47. overnight, shy of 40. the normal is 48.

maybe even a thunderstorm. with clouds, we'll have to mention a chance of showers sunday. four shy of sunday, with i have monday. tuesday sunny and 46 degrees. there's a school advisory, lewistown is closed due to water problems staff is asked to report to work. they're closed to students today. how about the rush here, here's kristy breslin. back to the westside of the outer lupe -- 10 minutes to 70. 95 in the southbound direction,

still a struggle from the beltway to the tunnel freeway. moving over, heavy in the southbound direction from 100 to 32. you can see a slowing at liberty road. this is brought to you by toyota and your local toyota dealer. toyota is moving forward. i'm going to mention this during the coffee with. there's a web extra. if you've ever watched the shuttle launch, you need to watch. >> one of our favorite people comes back for a visit, don thomas. >> it's great to have you here. we have a lot of toys and things to talk about. we'll do a tremendous web extra when we're done with the coffee with. the real reason to have you in is this. we're at the beginning of the

last two shuttle missions. we know there's been paper work exchanging about another mission. you're one of a select group of people he's ever done this. you've had this view. that's a shuttle during the launch from the inside. it's getting ready to go. >> yeah, it looks like the front window of the car, but that's straight up. >> what are you emotions at this home? >> at this point, the adrenaline is pumping through you, it's exciting. you've trained for a few years for a mission like this. you're focused on the flights watching the instruments and you're hoping, i hope this works okay today. >> you think! >> there's a one in 60 chance it may not. and that's in the back of my head.

you know there's a chance of a problem that day. >> i can feel your passion. bring up that computer again. you're watching this. you know the timeline what's going to be occurring. now, you're told, this part of your life is ending. how do you feel about this? >> it's sad when i heard that the program was coming to an end. this was four years ago and five years ago. coming to an end. i thought it would fly for ever. it can't do that. i wanted it to. to see it come to an end, it's sad. it's been an incredible program. we've been flying for 30 years. the next flight will be the 133rd flight. it's taking 350 to 400 humans in space. it's been an incredible vehicle for that. the total number of humans is

space is over 500. it's opened up the space and space exploration to a lot of scientists like myself and other teachers we've launched. it's a wide range of backgrounds that we've opened to a lot of people. >> depending on the shuttle you're in, you could be taking a ride in a 20-year-old car? >> they're 30, 40 years old. they started building columbia in the 70s. endeavour is 25 years old. they're old cars. only a few trips. discovery's 39th mission is coming up. >> the little old lady only took it to the space station once or twice a year. >> well, each mission is 200 million highs or -- miles or so.

>> when the rockets were being made and griffin made an appearance in the old days -- the message was simple. do good work. it's my rear end sitting in the chair. whoever built the shuttles did great work. >> i had been around the contractor and down at the kennedy space center. you meet the people and that gets you the confidence to strap in. they're the best people working on the program. they've done good work, it's their shuttle. it's my baby, they're taking care of it. they allow the astronauts to use it for two weeks in space. they put a lot of attention and focus. >> that's neat. >> you know, it really, honestly is. you did four missions. i mean, you did tremendous work. when you look back at the four

missions, what's going to be the don thomas greatest moment? >> what you'll be the most proud of? >> well, my first mission, the first time i got to space is what i'll always remember. i wanted to do this since i was 6. i went into space when i was 39. when it happened on that first mission, and the engines lit and we took off -- i had my helmet on and i'm yelling like, yeah! let's go. it's an incredible moment. >> when you're yelling in your helmet, can someone hear you? >> no, no one can hear you. >> that's a good thing. >> they're all probably yelling, too.

>> well, listen, our time has run short here. join us online at wjz.com. stay tuned, sharon gibala has wjz traffic control. we have first warning weather and more. the morning edition continues after this. ,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,

let's take a look at the forecast for the day. it's a beautiful sunrise, it's just gorgeous. crystal clear skies. we'll see clouds shortly and a little bit of rain this afternoon. we'll have a high of 48 degrees. over to kristy breslin in traffic control. good morning! >> good morning, marty and everyone. on the westside, you're looking at a 15 minute delay. average speed about 45 miles per hour. northside, still heavy traffic from harford to charles street. bumper to bumper to the harvard tunnel freeway. at least 15 minutes from 100 to 32. in the whitemarsh area, we have fire activity slowing things down. let's now take a look at the live look. here's a look at the beltway. this is brought to you by home

paramount pest patrol. call for more information. also, go to their website. there's breaking news in london. julian assange is going to be extradited. his lawyers are leaving him in i think for now. there-- him in england for now. 17 police officers were involved in a kick back scheme in rosedale. the officers were given $300 per car. later today, the state senate will vote on a bill legalizing gay marge. if-- gay marriage. it could go up for a referendum vote on the ballot.

complete news, weather and traffic still ahead. protestors in libya take control in more cities now. ,,,, [ female announcer ] why choose between delicious or 100 calories? with yoplait delights, now you can finally have both. two indulgently rich layers of chocolate and raspberry yogurt... and only 100 calories. only yoplait original has twice the calcium of the leading yogurt.

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